It's not colour, it's culture

We are seeing African culture influencing Western mainstream tastes like never before. It’s informing music, fashion, beauty, advertising…the list is infinite.

Afrobeats have blown up the charts, models have sashayed down the catwalk wearing tribal-inspired apparel, and Beyoncé has channelled ‘the motherland’ through her powerhouse visuals in #BlackIsKing.

As African culture continues to flourish in the West, brand marketing will shift from traditional targeted methods to a more human-centred approach — one which will utilise creative ingenuity to attract new audiences, drive profits, and build consumer rapport.

Relationship marketing charms audiences by placing the consumer at the forefront of a business. It fosters meaningful interactions, encourages word-of-mouth promotion, and most importantly, it builds communities.

Despite Africa’s growing influence on the West, data shows that big league brands are struggling to effectively market to Western minorities and fringe consumers. When they do, they often come across as having used tokenism or cultural appropriation.

While there is exciting growth potential for African and African-influenced brands, challenges remain. How do you take a complex ethnic culture and develop a successful mainstream presence without pandering to traditional marketing practices?

Marmalade enables brands and agencies to dip their toes (or take an audacious dive) into the cultural wonders of Africa. We help clients broaden their audience, tap into new consumer markets, and align with a shifting cultural zeitgeist.

By harnessing the power of influencers, ambitious brands can overcome their marketing challenges and meet their goals. To do this, we generate content that grabs attention, aligns with trends, and fosters long-term consumer loyalty.

By tapping technology-driven data and relational marketing techniques, Marmalade creates campaigns with multigenerational appeal. Our focus is to connect businesses with audiences that have been otherwise out of reach.

When major players engage with niche brands with strong community credentials, they have a better chance of growing their fan base, securing new markets, and dramatically driving revenue.

That’s where Marmalade comes in. We help you do that.